Do you hear people talk about being under spiritual attack? We sometimes speak this way when the plumbing backs up before an important event. Or when we get sick or depressed. But this Lent I remember that most often the devil attacks us with temptation to sin. I don't usually talk about warfare this way. Have you... Continue Reading →
To Worship or to Blame: A Confession
Do you ever find it difficult to worship God? When you hear the call to worship in Psalm 100, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord" does your heart expand with joy, or do you find a little resistance somewhere down inside? The call to worship evokes in me images of God's creation-waterfalls, ocean waves, mountain... Continue Reading →
Pieces of Heart and a Moving Truck
My husband and I recently packed up our house for a move. We packed everything we own - dishes and mops, framed photos and clothes, bedding and towels, kid art and toys, the television and the shop vac - everything - into boxes. I kept finding one more forgotten item, "Oh, that needs a box... Continue Reading →
The Fear Is Not God’s Voice
What dreadful scenario has fear lobbed like a hot hand grenade into your heart lately:You will fail;This will end badly;You are alone;God will not come through;You will mess this up?When I feel afraid I try to tell myself something I have learned the hard way: my fear is not God's voice.Because whenever I have caved into... Continue Reading →
No Regret Wasted
This week I listened as two anxious people said to me in separate conversations, "my goal is live so that I have no regrets." I'll bet you have heard people give voice to the abbreviated form of this mantra: "No regrets." Maybe you have even said it yourself. Though people often mean by this phrase that... Continue Reading →
The Freedom to Love Those who Criticize Us
Whose cutting words do you remember? Somewhere along the way, I know you have experienced the sting of someone's critical remarks. Maybe you, like me, have also been the one to utter the harsh words. I am not quick with comebacks, so when someone says something hurtful to me, I tend to give them the deer-in-the-headlights... Continue Reading →
The Joyful Prerequisite to Knowing God’s Will
The two boys sit in a settee flanked by a white wall and a green curtain. The one with a guitar appears about fifteen and the smaller one looks about eight. The little one stares calmly toward the camera, and when the older boy starts strumming, his thin body moves to the music. Then he opens his mouth, and in a... Continue Reading →
My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?
I agreed to speak on these words at our church's Good Friday service. Then I thought, What have I done? I now must teach on the worst words in the entire Bible? Jesus cried these words moments before his death, not long before he screamed, gave up his spirit, and died. Exposure and Vulnerability The Romans... Continue Reading →
The Hand of the Shepherd
What keeps you awake in the night? Don't you want to know that everything will turn out well tomorrow, next week, next year? I do. But we don't know. So the tense hours of the night drag on. I listened to a talk by John Eldridge from his series, "The Four Streams." He said the Lord... Continue Reading →
Will You Dare to Believe You are a Joy to God?
What do you think God feels when he looks at you? Would your life be different if you knew in your bones that when he turns his thoughts toward you his heart fills with joy? The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength Nehemiah contains a mysterious verse: "The joy of the LORD is your... Continue Reading →
The Deepest Love 